Time-printing machine.



L E. DIEMPSEY.v

TIME PRINTING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED NOV- 30, 1914.

Patented June 6, 1916.

2 SHEETSSHEET 1.

INVENTOR James EDempsey WITNESSES:

111B COLUMBIA PLANOGRAPH (20., WASHINGTON D c Patented June 6, 1916.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2. /0

J. E. DEMPSEY.

TIME PRINTING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED NOV. 30, 914.

INVENTOR James E. Dempsey BY W ATTORNEY WITNESSES:

JAMES E. DEMPSEY, F SEATTLE, WASHINGTON.

TIME-PRINTING MACHINE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented June 6, 1916.

Application filed November 30, 1914. Serial No. 874,580.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JAMES E. DEMPSEY, a citizen of the United States, residing at Seattle, in the county of King and State of Washington, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Time-Printing Machines, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to time printing machines, and it consists in certain improvements upon the invention disclosed in U. S. Patent No. 1,098,607, of June 2, 191 1.

The object of my improvements is to provide perfected means which are operated by clock-work whereby time records may be automatically printed, or whereby such records may be manually effected. These objects I attain by means of the mechanism hereinafter described and illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a rear elevational view of mechanism embodying the present invention, with parts of the framework omitted. Fig. 2 is a perspective view of the clock-actuated mechanism shown in Fig. 1, applied to the operation of a single type-wheel. Fig. 3 is a detail plan view of the type-wheels and the driving gearing therefor, as illustrated in Fig. 1. Fig. 4 is a rear elevation of Fig. 3. 5 is a detail vertical sectional view through 5 5 of Fig. 1. Fig. 6 is a like View with parts therein shown in different positions to which they are illustrated in Fig. 5. Fig. 7 is a horizontal section through 7-7 of Fig. 1.

The reference numeral 2 designates a clock which is shown as rigidly supported by a base comprising upright members 3 and a base-member 4. The arbor 5 of one of the hands of said clock has mounted thereon a spur-gear 6 and a bevel-gear 7.

8 represents a vertical shaft upon which is a bevel-gear 9 in mesh with the bevel-gear 7 and. whereby the shaft is driven from the mainspring or motor of said clock through the instrumentality of the clockwork. Adjacent its lower end said shaft has mounted thereon a spurpinion 10 having a relatively wide face and is in continuous mesh with a crowngear 11 having on its periphery a series of type characters and constitutes a printing wheel. As illustrated in Fig. 2, there is but a single printing wheel and accordingly the type characters thereon would designate the hours and fractional parts thereof expressed in minutes as 1, 1:15,

1:30, 1:45, 2, etc., and the arbor 5 driving the printing wheel would be the one carrying the hour-hand of the clock. I preferably use, however, a plurality of printing wheels as shown in Figs. 1, 3 and 4;, and in such case the aforesaid printing or type wheel which is provided with crown-teeth would be driven from the arbor of the minute-hand and the type characters would progressively represent minutes as 1, 2, 3, etc. The second wheel 12 is provided with type characters designating the hours as 1 to 12. The second named type-wheel is driven from the first-named one through any suitable train of driving gears which will afiord the requisite intermittent rotary movements to the hour-wheel.

As best shown in Figs. 3 ands, the shaft 14 to which the minute wheel 11 is rigidly secured has keyed or otherwise secured there to a disk 15 having a tooth 15 which engages in the successive gullets 16 of a wheel 16 in successive rotations of the disk 15. The periphery of the wheel 16 intermediate the gullets 16 is formed with concavities 16 which fit the circumference of the disk so that the wheel when disengaged from the disk-tooth 15 is prevented from being accidentally turned.

Connected to the wheel 16 to rotate in unison therewith is a gear 17 which drives a gear 18 which is secured to the hour printing wheel 12 to rotate the latter. The shafts for the printing wheels 11 and 12 and the train of gears whereby they are operatively connected, are journaled in a vibratory frame formed with side-bars 19 and 19 which are pivotally connected to a pin 20.

21 represents a spring connected to the frame and tending to raise the type wheels from their printing positions with respect to a platen 22 provided on the base-member 1.

An endless ink-ribbon 23 (Fig. 1) passes about pulley-wheels 24 and 24. disposed at opposite sides of the type wheels and has a lead 23 interposed between the latter and the said platen. The wheel 24. is desirably journaled 011 the pin to which said vibratory frame is fulcrumed.

Connected to the frame-member 19 is a resilient finger 25 which serves as a pawl to engage the corrugated inner peripheral surface 241 of the wheel 24 to impart rotary movements thereto at each upward movement of the frame, to cause the ink ribbon lead 23 to be intermittently advanced. The

printing of articles such as cards, tape, etc, is attained by my invention periodically through the oflices of certain driving mechanism, to be presentlyexplained, or at any time through the medium of annually operable means, hereinafter described.

Referring more particularly to Fig. 2, the before-mentioned spur-gear 6 which -rotates with an arbor of the clock serves as the driver for two spur-wheels 2G and 27. Loosely mounted on the shaft 28 which carries gear 26 is a sleeve 29 having at one end a cam 30 and at its other end a star wheel 31. 32 is a coil-spring having its end connected by pins 32 and 32 with the gear 26 and the cam 30. This spring is partly wound up before putting it in place. Abutting said cam is a push-rod 33 which is connected to the member 19 of said vibratory frame. As illustrated, said cam is provided with four protuberances and the starwheel. 31. is provided with a like number of arms. Provided for said star-wheel is an escapement comprising two levers 34 and 35. The lever 34 is of a substantially T-shapc and is fulcrumed at 36 (Fig. 2). The other lever is fulcrumed to a pin 37 and isoperated by a pin 38 projecting from a depending arm 34 of the other lever engaging in an aperture 35 of lever 35.

39 represents a stop against which the lever-arm 34 is yieldingly held by a spring 40. The gear-wheel 27 is provided with spaced studs 27 27 etc., arranged to suecessively engage the lever arm 34 in their orl ital travel wit-h the rotation of the gear.

The operation of the mechanism just described is as follows: The gears 26 and 27 are rotated by the driving-gear 6, and when thus affected, the gear 26 acts to further wind the spring 32 and the other revolves a stud, as 27 to push down the lever-arm 34 in opposition to spring 40. The lever 34 is thereby withdrawn from beneath an arm of the star-wheel 31 while the other lever is swung beneath such arm to receive the same. As gear 27 continues to rotate, the stud 27 is carried by its revoluble movement out of contact with the lever-arm 34 whereupon the snring 40 becomes effective to move the lever 64 toward the star-wheel, and the lever in a contrary direction, resulting in the wheel-arm which was engaged by the lever 35 being released and another arm of the wheel being arrested by the lever 34. The spring 32 affords the power to actuate the star-wheel and also turn the cam. As the cam is turned one of its protuberances pushes down upon the bar 33 to bear the frame 19-19 down and have the typewheels print a record of an article, as A, which is inserted between the ink-ribbon lead 23 and the'platen 22. The spring 32 in the above-described printing action is partly unwound, but is restored to its former condition in the continued rotation of the gear The relative rotary movements of the gear 26 and the cam 30 are such that the unwinding of the spring 32 is compensated by the gear. he power for operating the spring 32 is derived from the relatively stronger main spring of the clock.

The manually-operable means for imparting printing movements to the type wheel or wheels are illustrated in Figs. 1. 5, 6 and 7. 41 represents a rocker-shaft journaled in standards 41 (Fig. 7) secured to a stationary part of the casing, as to the base 4 between the walls 3. Secured to said rocker-shaft is an operating arm 42 extending through a slot 3 in a wall 8. 43 .is a downwardly directed crank-arm loosely mounted on shaft 41 and provided in its hub 43 with a circumferential slot 43 to receive a stud 44 which protrudes from the shaft. Connected to the free end of said crank-arm by a pin 45 is a rod 46 having intermediate its ends a stirrup attachment 47. Fitted within a slot provided in the shaft 41 and extending loosely through the stirrup 47 is a finger 48 formed of spring metal. The rod 46 extends through a slot 3 (Fig. l) of a wall 3, to engage upon the frame-bar 19. 49 represents a stop for limiting the downward movement of the rod 45.

The operation of the above described devices is as follows: .ssuming the parts to occupy the positions in which they are illustrated by full lines in Fig. 5, a downward pressure by the operators finger upon the arm 4.2 will turn the shaft and cause the rod 46 to be primarily urged down by means of the finger 48 to effect a corresponding movement to move the vibratory frame into dotted line 19 position and whereby the printing by the type-wheels is accomplished. As the turning of the shaft 41 proceeds, the stud 44 will encounter an end of the crankarm slot 43 then cause the crank-arm to accompany the shaft and in such movement the rod 46 is pulled from the frame-bar 19 and falls on the stop 49, as indicated by broken lines 46 in Fig. 5. The rod 16 and the parts which control its action are arranged so that the printing movements of the type-wheels are accomplished before the rod is withdrawn. hen the frame is re leased, the spring 21. then serves to quickly elevate the type-wheels so as not to interfere with the rotation of the same or temporarily stopping the clockwork by which they are driven. Upon the operator releasing the arm 42 as spring 50 which is connected to arm 42 acts to turn the shaft 41 back into its original position, the finger 4S elevates the rod 43 into about the position in which it is shown in Fig. 6 before the stud 44- engages the crank-arm at the other end of the slot 43 whereupon the crank-arn'l will be swung about the axis of shaft 41 to thrust "the rod 46 into position like that in which it is shown in Fig. 5.

The construction and operation of the invention will be understood from the fore going.

It may be mentioned that in the present invention, the type-wheel or wheels are rotated continuously by the clock and the type characters are presented in printing position to correspond with the time as indicated by the clock hands. The type-wheels are operatively connected by gearing with the clockwork so that the type-wheels are set in the setting of the hands and thus require no attention.

The progressive rotary movements of the type-wheels are performed through power afforded by the main spring of the clock; while the printing movements of the type wheels are accomplished either by power supplied by such spring or through the medium of the manually-actuated devices.

What I claim, is

1. In a time-printing machine, a stationary platen, a rotary type-wheel provided with time designating characters, clock-actuated means for imparting uninterrupted rotary and intermittent reciprocatory movements to the wheel and cooperating with said platen for periodically impressing the time-designating characters on an article.

2. In a time-printing machine, a clock, a type-wheel positively and continuously and uninterruptedly rotated by said clock, a spring tending to maintain said type wheel in inoperative position, and mechanism ac tuated by said clock-work whereby the typewheel is periodically moved into printing position.

3. In a time-printing machine, a clock, a type-wheel continuously and uninterruptedly rotated by said clock, a frame movable with respect to said clock and carrying said type-wheel, a spring tending to maintain said type-Wheel in inoperative position, and means actuated by the clockwork engageable with said frame whereby the latter is influenced to actuate the type-wheel.

4. In a time-printing machine, the combination with a clock of a rotary type-wheel arranged for reciprocatory movements in relation to said clock, mechanical connec tion between the clock and said type wheel for continuously rotating the latter, said connection also serving to efiect the setting of the type-Wheel by the setting of the clockhands, said clock further serving to depress said type wheel at predetermined periods.

5. In a time-printing machine, the combination with clockwork, of a vibratory frame, a type-wheel rotatably mounted in said frame, driving connections between the clockwork and said Wheel for continuously and uninterruptedly rotating the same, a spring connected to said frame and tending to hold the wheel in inoperative position, and means controlled by the clockwork and releasably engaging said frame whereby the type-wheel is movable into printing position.

6. In a time-printing machine, the combination with a clock, of a frame movable with respect to the clock, a gear-wheel mounted in said frame and provided with time-designating characters on its periphery, said crowngear-wheel being depressible by the clockwork at spaced time intervals, an upright shaft, gear connections between said shaft and an arbor of said clock, and a spur-pinion mounted on said shaft to rotate the wheel at all positions of the same from power derived from said clock.

7 In a time-printing machine, the combination with a clock, of a frame movable relatively to said clock, a plurality of typewheels provided with time-designating characters rotatably mounted in said frame, a vertically reciprocative and operative connection between the clock and one of said wheels, and operative connections between said wheels whereby the wheels are continuously rotated by the clock during the operation of the latter.

8. In a time-printing machine, the combination with a relatively non-movable clock, a frame movable with respect thereto, a plurality of type-wheels rotatably mounted in said frame, and connections between said clock and the wheels whereby the latter are positively driven by the clock mechanism at different rotatory speeds, said connections being further arranged to move the typewheels into and out of printing position at predetermined time periods.

9. In a time-printing machine, a platen, a rotary type-wheel, a clock provided with hour and minute arbors, means positively connecting an arbor with the type-wheel to move the typewheel in either direction uninterruptedly in accordance with the movement of the arbors, and other means governed by the clock for periodically oscillating the type-wheel whereby to impress characters on the wheel on an article supported by the platen,

10. In a time-printing machine, a platen, 115 a clock provided with an arbor, an oscillatory frame, a type-wheel revolubly-mounted in the frame, gearing connecting the arbor and type wheel, and other gearing connecting the arbor and oscillatory frame and 120 arranged to periodically oscillate the frame and depress the type-wheel against the platen, the first mentioned gearing being arranged to drive the type wheel uninterruptedly.

11. In a time printing machine, a swinging lever, a crown wheel provided with a type band journaled on the lever, a shaft journaled adjacent the crown wheel, a drum gear mounted on the shaft and meshing with 130 the crown wheel, a clock-Work mechanism arranged to drive the drum gear continuously and uninterruptedly, a depressing bar connected to said lever, means driven from the clock-Work mechanism to actuate said depressing bar, and means controlled by the clock-work mechanism to intermittently release the first-mentioned means for actuation.

12. In a time printing machine, a swinging lever, a crown Wheel provided with a type band journaled 0n the lever, a shaft journaled adjacent the crown wheel, a drum gear mounted on the shaft and meshing with the crown Wheel, a clock-work mechanism arranged to drive the drum gear continuously and uninterruptedly, a depressing bar connected to said lever, means driven from the clock-work mechanism to actuate said depressing bar, means controlled by the clock-work mechanism to intermittently release the first-mentioned means for actuation, the last-mentioned means including a gear wheel provided with a plurality of stop pins, a release lever engageable by the stop pins, and a star wheel normally engageable by the release lever.

Signed at Seattle, Wash, this 17th day of November, 1914:.

JAMES E. DEMPSEY.

WVitnesses PIERRE BARNES, E. PETERSON.

Copiea of this patent may he obtained tor five cents each, by addressing the Commluloner of Intel,

Washington, D. G." 

